Dipping Your Toe into the Advocacy Pool Communicating the Value of Library Services for Teens.
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Transcript Dipping Your Toe into the Advocacy Pool Communicating the Value of Library Services for Teens.
Dipping Your Toe into
the Advocacy Pool
Communicating the Value of Library
Services for Teens
What is Advocacy?
A good definition comes from AASL:
On-going process of building partnerships
so that others will act for and with you,
turning passive support into educated
action for the library program.
It begins with a vision and a plan for the
library program that is then matched to the
agenda and priorities of stakeholders.
What is NOT Advocacy?
Most of advocacy is not lobbying, but
lobbying is a legally allowable and
regulated form of advocacy
It is when your organization takes a position on
a piece of legislation & asks elected officials to
support or oppose that legislation
Nonprofits are permitted to do some
lobbying as part of their overall advocacy
The amount is based on the size of their budget
Why advocate?
You can’t assume anyone else is
doing it.
It’s a part of being an effective
librarian or library worker.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
The general public isn’t always aware
of what the library has to offer.
Because many teens do not yet have
the skills to advocate for themselves.
Who do you
reach out to?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Community Members
Policy Makers
Press
Library Staff
1. Community
members
Library patrons
Teens
Parents
Grandparents
Local business owners
Youth serving groups
Educators
1. Community
Hold a YA Open House
Participate in and have a library presence
in local festivals, events & celebrations
Start or revive a “Friends of the Library”
Speak about your library at a non-library
event (women’s club, bowling league,
religious group, historical society, etc.)
Use social media tools to reach & engage
people
Create multi-language library materials
2. Policymakers
Town Council
School Board
Mayor
Policy/advocacy
groups
Anyone with influence
2. Policy Makers
Add VIPs to the library’s newsletter mailing
list
Make sure VIPs have library cards
Attend a meeting (Chamber of Commerce,
School Board, Town Council, etc.)
Invite VIPs to library events
Send them photos or articles about recent
library accomplishments
Attend an advocacy event like State or
National Library Legislative Day
3. press
Newspaper
Radio
TV (incl. public access)
Bloggers
Local magazines
School or university radio
stations, closed circuit TV,
etc.
3. Press
Send them a calendar of library events
Send letters to the editor (from you, teens,
parents, advocates)
Write press releases
Add them to the library’s newsletter mailing list
Invite them to attend library events
Send them photos of recent events
Send them public service announcements
4. Library staff
Trustees or Board
Director
Librarians
Support staff
Volunteers
Friends of the Library
4. Staff
Share information at a staff meeting
Post articles or photos in the staff lounge
Forward relevant items from e-newsletters
Share a brief weekly update with your
supervisor (email, phone, face-to-face)
Create an online place for coworkers to
share knowledge (wiki, intranet)
Hold a workshop or idea swap for
coworkers
Selected Resources
Advocacy Toolkit,
www.ala.org/yalsa/advocacy
Being a Teen Library Services Advocate,
Linda W. Braun
Powerful Public Relations: A How-To Guide
for Libraries, by Rashelle Karp
[email protected],
http://lists.ala.org/sympa/info/yadvocacy-l
Continuing Education
Resources
Stay current with developments in
advocacy through YALSA’s webinars!
offered monthly on the third Thursday at 2pm
EST, www.ala.org/yalsa/webinars
The ALA Washington Office periodically
offers free advocacy webinars. Events are
posted on District Dispatch,
www.districtdispatch.org/
Please contact YALSA if we can be of help
YALSA
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
1.800.545.2433 x4390
[email protected]
www.ala.org/yalsa (web site)
http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/ (YALSAblog)
http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa/index.php (wiki)
@yalsa on Twitter
Who is YALSA?
YALSA stands for the Young Adult Library
Services Association
Has over 5,100 members who are school and
public librarians, library workers, educators,
grad students, retirees, library supporters and
more!
Mission is to make libraries awesome for
teens!
YALSA is a subspecialty of the American
Library Association (ALA)
Questions, comments, ideas to
share?